


Hunting Things, Saving Ghosts

by Writer_Geekgirl



Series: Castiel and Dean: An Apocalyptic Love Story [6]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Amnesiac Castiel (Supernatural), Case Fic, Destiel Promptober, Episode: s08e07 A Little Slice of Kevin, Ghosts, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-12-01 23:09:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20929352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writer_Geekgirl/pseuds/Writer_Geekgirl
Summary: After traveling from 2007 to 2057, Sam and Dean Winchester encounter a different Castiel. They travel the country, hunting things. This time, they save a ghost.This work is part of a Destiel Promptober 2019 prompt series. The stories are inspired by two different word prompts each day but the short vignettes will all tie in together and weave a larger story. Each story will be standalone (for the most part).The prompts for the day are: Husky and Haunted Home





	Hunting Things, Saving Ghosts

On their trip across the zombie apocalypse land, Dean had stopped at an abandoned gas station to see if he could get any decent gas out of the old pumps. Castiel walked Dog in the adjacent vacant lot, while Rowena and Sam entered the building to see if there were any supplies they could salvage. Dean looked at Castiel when Dog growled. Castiel squinted at something in the distance. 

Dean put the cover back over the pump lines and walked towards Castiel. "Problem, Sunshine?"

Castiel replied, "I think I saw a young girl walking one of those sled dogs, a husky, along that street over there. She might have been ten or twelve. I didn't see where she went."

"We should get Sam and Rowena and check it out."

They piled into the Accord and drove to where Castiel had seen the girl. They got out of the car and walked up and down the street several times. Castiel gazed at one house. It was large with the remains of a swing set off to one side. The yard was an overgrown jungle of jasmine climbing up oak trees, but it was obvious at one time it had been a beautiful house with a wide wraparound porch. Castiel asked, "Do you feel it, Rowena?"

"Aye. Tch. That house has some serious darkness to it," Rowena shuddered slightly.

They heard barking within the house. Dean went to the trunk of the Accord and pulled out two tire irons. He said in a resigned voice, "We better check it out."

"I know you are hunters but there's no one left here to save," Rowena protested.

Dean replied, "Sometimes, it's the ghost that needs saving. Sometimes you need to help release their spirits."

Rowena glared at him, "So very Ghost Whisperer of you, Melinda. But I thought hunters saved humans."

Sam patted Rowena's arm soothingly. "It will only take a minute. You don't have to help."

Rowena pursed her lips and glared at both of them. Castiel said, "In my experience, Winchesters are very stubborn. You might as well let them deal with this. However, if you could keep Dog out here for me and watch him, I'd appreciate it. He doesn't like ghosts much."

Rowena sighed and sat back in the car. Dog immediately put his head on her shoulder and sighed with a huff. Both Rowena and Dog looked at Castiel balefully.

Castiel approached the door carefully with his silver blade in hand. Dean and Sam followed him warily. When the door didn't open easily at first, Castiel put more force into it. They could hear something heavy fall over. When Castiel was able to open the door enough to slide through, he disappeared into the depths of the house. Sam and Dean followed.

Castiel gestured to a heavy desk that had been placed in front of the door. "They were trying to keep something out."

Dean huffed a small breath and could see mist coming from his mouth. "Cold spots. It's a ghost."

Sam muttered, "What I wouldn't give for an EMF detector right about now."

A powerful force hit Sam in the stomach and sent him careening against the wall. A voice boomed, "Get out."

Castiel said calmly, "You are a ghost. If you tell us where your bones are, we can help you get out of this place." Castiel was suddenly sent sprawling against a staircase.

Dean held his tire iron in front of him, "Telling the ghosts you want to burn their bones generally doesn't work, Cas."

Castiel groaned slightly as he stood up, "Duly noted."

Sam scrambled across the floor to retrieve his tire iron. A form coalesced in front of Dean and punched him in the face, blood from his nose splattered across Dean's face. The ghost appeared to be a middle-aged man in a trucker hat and a flannel shirt. It repeated in a loud voice, "Get out of my house."

Castiel stood still a moment before striding across the room. Something tried to push him aside, but he managed to make it to the living room. The skeleton of a man with a shotgun draped across his lap was sprawled in a faded and torn recliner. Castiel yelled to Sam, "Come here."

The ghost punched Dean again until it noticed what Castiel and Sam were doing and it disappeared and reappeared next to Castiel. Castiel reached towards it and a glow emanated from his hand. Castiel gritted, "I've got hold of the spirit, Sam. Burn his bones before he breaks free."

Sam quickly did so, and the ghost disappeared in a burst of flame. A dim barking sounded inside the house again.

"Well, if that's the ghost, who is the girl and dog?" Dean asked swiping the blood from his injured nose onto his jacket sleeve.

Castiel walked into the kitchen and paused at a door that was boarded over. He yanked the boards off and tried to push the door open. It didn't budge so Castiel placed his hand on the door exploding it. He said unceremoniously, "There's something down there."

Dean and Sam followed Castiel down a staircase that descended into a cellar. At the foot of the stairs stood a girl and a husky. She asked in a small voice, "Is my dad gone?"

"The malevolent spirit is no longer here," Castiel replied unceremoniously. 

Dean glared at him, as the girl shuddered. 

Sam knelt near her. "What happened?"

"My dad locked me and Frodo down here when the zombies came. He told us he would let us out when they were gone, and it was safe to go to Grandma's. But he never came back down. His last words were I need to wait for him before we could leave. I sometimes sneak out and walk Frodo but I'm still waiting for him to come down here and tell me it's all okay and we can leave for Grandma's."

Dean looked sadly at the skeleton of a girl and a dog in the corner of the cellar. The dog's body was curled around the girl's protectively.

The girl followed Dean's eyes. "Dad put all the food we had down here for us to eat. But we ran out. And then… I went to sleep, and I didn't wake up alive."

Dean closed his eyes and grimaced, thinking of the way the girl died. Her father must have been killed while trying to protect her, and never retrieved her from the basement.

Sam smiled at the girl gently, "Well, I can help you leave here now. Would you like that? Your dad has already gone."

The girl said primly, "Yes, please."

Sam quietly and without ceremony started to salt the remains. Dean flinched as the flames consumed the girl and the dog. Dean asked in a pained voice, "Do dogs go to Heaven, Cas?"

"I don't know, Dean. But surely that dog would have deserved to." Castiel laid a hand on Dean's sleeve. They looked at each other intently before Sam cleared his throat. 

Sam said, "We probably should get in case zombies are around here somewhere. Or Rowena steals the car." Sam disappeared up the stairs.

Dean looked at Castiel with the shimmer of tears in his eyes, "It's so friggin' hard when we can't save someone. We are about a few decades too late this time."

Castiel replied, "You can't save everyone, my friend. Even though you try." Castiel grimaced and closed his eyes for a moment as he remembered explaining to past Dean why he didn't leave Purgatory. He needed to do penance; he had Dean leave him behind because he didn't deserve coming back to Earth. His eyes flew open and he gasped.

Dean squeezed Castiel's arm in support. "You can't save everyone either. But still, you try." He pulled him in for a one-armed hug before following Sam up the stairs. 

Castiel looked longingly at Dean's back for a moment before following him up the stairs.


End file.
